Earlier today, the Music Modernization Act unanimously passed through the House of Representatives ushering in a new era of the music industry. Sponsored across the aisle by Robert Goodlatte (R-VA) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), HR 5477 has been overwhelmingly supported by the music industry for its improvement on the royalty rate to songwriters, artists, and creatives in the digital era.
Speaking on the bill, Goodlatte described the bill as one that “brings early 20th century music laws for the analog era into the 21st century digital era. Music is no longer written on piano rolls, and our laws shouldn’t be based on that technology either.”
Though the bill fails to address the lack of payments to performers for terrestrial radio, it does improve the mechanical licensing system, ensure royalty protection on pre-1972 performances, provide a statutory right recognizing adjunct creators such as producers, sound engineers, and mixers without creating a unified standard rate for music royalties.
The MMA is now slated to head to Senate in May for their confirmation.
H/T: Variety
